


There’s More to Life Than Just Toast

by Melbrook



Category: General Hospital
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-23
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-04-26 22:07:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14411541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melbrook/pseuds/Melbrook
Summary: An A-Z Drabble Series





	1. Anger

There’s More to Life Than Just Toast

AN: An A-Z Drabble series about Franco and Elizabeth’s Relationship. 

*Anger*

He didn’t know why he had come here. He opened the door and looked at the painting of him and Drew. He had loved that painting once, but now that he knew the truth, it was forever changed. He was filled with anger as eyes shifted to the blood stain on the ground, uncle Jim’s blood. He wished that he could feel relief that it was over, be thankful that Jim was dead and would never be able to hurt him or any other child again, but he couldn’t. Perhaps he would feel that in time, but for now there was just anger. 

He looked around the room at all of the art that he had created over the years. This place would always be dark and ugly to him. Death had claimed this place as it’s own many years ago. This was the place where he had killed so many in the name of art. He now knew that he wasn’t born evil, the darkness inside was created by Uncle Jim, and the tumor. They were both gone now, but the anger remained. 

Franco needed to destroy that part of him once and for all. He wanted to protect the relationship that he had with Elizabeth. He would not let the darkness of this place destroy the future that he wanted with her. He once told her that there was more to life than just Toast. At the time, he was just learning what it was to be human. They had become friends and when she had been pushed down the stairs, he almost lost her to death. He had pleaded with her to hold on, with promises that there would be more to their life then a few kisses over Toast. He smiled as he thought of the memory. 

He decided that he would take out all of his pent up anger on an empty canvas and then he would burn that and the rest of this place down to the ground. 

Elizabeth showed up at Franco’s studio and saw him splattering red paint across the white canvas. She recognized the anger that he was unleashing, the look on his face was hauntingly familiar to her. Tom had left her with that same type of anger when he had stolen her innocence the same way that Jim had stolen Franco’s. For a moment, she felt like she was that same fifteen year old girl trashing her bedroom. She slowly walked into the room and picked up the icy blue paint and threw it on the canvas right next to his. 

The two of them unleashed the rest of their anger in silence, getting all the years of pent up rage out of their system, creating something fascinating in the process. 

“I’m sorry that you had to see this,” he whispered as he turned to her. 

“I’m not. Anger’s a part of you, just like it’s a part of me. It might not be as pretty as toast, but it’s life, yours and mine. It’s part of being human, and you promised that we would be partners in everything.”

“I love you,” he whispered as he reached out to trace her face. 

“I love you too. Let’s keep this art that we made today and the rest, we’ll let burn,” Elizabeth said as she grabbed their latest work of art. 

“How did you know I wanted to burn this place down?” Franco asked. 

“I understand you,” Elizabeth said as she handed him the box of matches. 

He grabbed the lighter fluid off the counter and started a fire. He took Elizabeth by the hand and left leaving their anger in this place of death to burn to the ground.


	2. Chapter 2

*Broken*

Elizabeth could hear him whimpering as she opened her eyes. He was tossing and turning as he cried out in pain. His eyes were shut and she could tell that he was in the throes of a horrible nightmare or even worse a memory that could never be forgotten. She gently placed her fingers on his shoulder and shook him. 

“Franco, it’s okay, you’re just having a bad dream,” she whispered in his ear as he woke up to his surroundings. 

“Elizabeth,” he whispered as he opened his eyes and realized that he wasn’t in the basement of his childhood home, he wasn’t a broken child desperately trying to protect his brother from the same fate. He was now an adult, he still felt broken inside even as he remembered that Jim was dead and would never hurt Drew the way that he had hurt him. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Elizabeth asked as she wrapped her arms around him in the way that she often did that made him feel so safe and loved. 

“It was a memory I think. I was in the basement and Andy and I were playing hide and seek. He wanted me to hide first, but I couldn’t take the chance that he would find Andy. It was too late for me, Jim had already broken me and he was losing interest. He started to give toys to Andy, and I knew what those toys meant for him. I couldn’t let him break Andy the way that he broke me. I told Andy that he needed to be the one to hide first. I counted to ten, but I peaked through my fingers and I saw him climb inside the toy chest. I locked him in there, and he cried. He wanted me to let him out but I couldn’t. I could hear Jim’s footprints on the floorboards above me. I ran up the stairs hoping that I could distract him so that he wouldn’t hear Andy. My mom was working and when Jim couldn’t find Andy, he took me to my room,” Franco whispered as he shuddered.

“I’m so sorry that he hurt you. Nobody should have to suffer from that type of abuse.”

“For so long I repressed the memories. I forgot what he did to me, I believed my mother’s lies that Andy didn’t exist, but even so he stayed with me. I became fixated, no I became obsessed with his twin brother Jason Morgan. When I was a child I would have done anything to protect Andy from feeling the way that I did, but as an adult I needed Jason to feel broken the way that I did.”

“You were sick, had a brain tumor that was messing with the way that you thought. You’re a good person Franco Baldwin. You weren’t evil, the way that Jim made you feel. You protected Drew because you’re a good person. Please tell me that you believe me,” Elizabeth pleaded with him. 

“I do, I didn’t push Drew down the stairs to hurt him, I did it to protect him. I know that the tumor twisted things up inside my head to the point where I became dead inside. I was incapable of feeling anything back then. When they removed the tumor, I got my conscience and my soul back, I could feel again, but the only thing that I felt was the feelings of that broken four year old child inside of me. I wanted that feeling to burn down when we torched my studio-“

“But it didn’t work,” Elizabeth stated for him.

“Yes and no, I still feel the scars of the wounds that he inflicted all those years ago, but I no longer feel powerless, isolated and alone. He had me convinced that nobody would believe me if I told the truth and I believed him. I no longer believe him, because of you. You believe in me and that has changed everything for me,” he whispered as he kissed her.


	3. Chapter 3

*Children*

She stared at the test as she thought about what this would mean for them. Franco was great with her children, with Kiki, he loved them, but he had made it clear that he didn’t want children of his own. It had been one of the reasons why he and Nina had broken up. She wanted children and he didn’t. 

The plus sign on this test would change everything for them. Franco was still trying to deal with the trauma of his childhood and she didn’t know how he would react to the unexpected pregnancy.

“How could this have happened?” She asked herself. They had always been so careful to use protection, then she flashed back to the shower that they had shared at the hospital. That was the day that they were supposed to be married, but then there was that earthquake. She had been so worried about him and when he showed up after saving Drew’s life, she had been so relieved, so grateful that she hadn’t lost him. She had joined him in the shower and the two of them had made love and created a child. 

“Elizabeth, is everything okay in there?” She heard him ask from the next room. 

She took a deep breath and then headed out.

“Franco, there’s something that I need to tell you,” she whispered. 

“What is it? What’s wrong? Are you sick?” He asked her as he instantly went to her side. 

“I’m pregnant, we’re going to have a child together,” she quickly explained. 

“You, you’re pregnant, with my child?” Franco stammered as he took a step backwards. 

“I know how you feel about this, but you’re a great father to all of my children, to Kiki and I know that you’ll be a great father to this child as well,” Elizabeth said as she grabbed his hand and placed it on her stomach. 

“I...I...just don’t want to ruin our child’s life by passing on my defective genes. I don’t want them to struggle with the darkness.”

“You’re a great man Franco Baldwin and the darkness was caused by the tumor. You’re not that man anymore.”

“I love you and I love the child, our child already. I’m scared, but you helped me through the darkness and you’re such a great mom. Thank god that this child will have half of your genes, you might be their saving grace, the way that you’ve been mine,” Franco said and then he kissed her just as their was a knock on the front door. 

“Are you expecting anyone?” Elizabeth asked. 

“No, but I’ll see who it is,” Franco said as he headed to the door. 

“Drew, what are you doing here?” Franco asked. 

“I received my divorce papers today and I didn’t want to be alone,” Drew stated. 

“Why don’t the two of you go and have a guy’s night out,” Elizabeth suggested. 

“Are you sure?” Franco asked. 

“I’m positive. I think it will be good for the both of you, give you a chance to talk.”

“Even though I’m scared, I am happy about the news,” Franco said as he hugged Elizabeth.

“What news?” Drew asked. 

“You’re going to be an uncle and I’m going to be a father,” Franco said. 

“Congratulations, I’ll buy the first round of drinks,” Drew said and then the two of them headed out. 

XOXOXO


End file.
